Keerai Mor-Kozhambu, Cheppan Kezhangu fry, Vendakkai Kaara Curry

Being of old school, and coming from hospitality culture, my mom likes to feed everyone. She takes it very seriously. She always has. Sometimes I think she has a masochistic streak trying to present half a dozen or so dishes for a meal. Of course, for the Shraddham (death anniversary ceremonies) of our ancestors, she used to make these strictly outlined menu that involved a 20-odd dish spread.

Despite letting her know I am not starving and don't need as much food, it has been quite a struggle to refuse the loaded plate she serves. Here's one such:

Spinach Mor-Kozhambu: Much like my other Mor-Kozhambus - a buttermilk savory dish usually served with rice.

Taro Root (Cheppan Kezhangu) pan-fried: Much like my other taro root recipe.

Okra spicy curry: Okra with onion, sautéed with salt and chili powder.

Tempering is mandatory for my mom. I leave it as optional when I am cooking.

Anyway, I know she feels the urge to make up for all the time she is not able to cook and serve us as we are living in two different continents with not as much visits as we'd like, thanks to hamster-wheel life...

So, if I break all my self-imposed eating-right rules and gorge a bit but make my mom's heart smile in the process, it will be well worth it. I can always try to lose extra lbs I've been meaning to for the last n years...

Mini Indulgences

I haven't bothered to cook anything at my mom's what with all the delicious favorites she has been making for us so far...

Well, I take it back, I have been cooking - only the morning oatmeal and occasional ravioli for the kids. I sneak in Junior Horlicks™ (with DHA) into their morning Weikfield™ oatmeal, and some Maggie™ vegetable cube flavoring into their ravioli. And since neither is interested in any solid food intake so far during this visit, I am just throwing up my hands in frustration and letting them live on air and water, some milk and yogurt, till they come around.

Meanwhile, feeling a little guilty, I quietly appreciate the mini indulgences my mom presents, grateful for the respite from the kitchen duty I have back home.

Seen here is a simple meal of Mango fruit (mambazham) mor-kozhambu, lablab/hyacinth beans and snake-gourd poduthuval, usually served with plain white rice.

Spinach Mor-kozhambu

Mor-kozhambu is one of my favorite simple foods. I love to have it with rice and paruppusili. And, among the mor-kozhambus, my favorite is, of course mambazha mor-kozhambu :)

Since D, Ana and I are recovering from some viral thing that gave us high (102-103°F) fever and severe cough, I was craving for some comfort food. Rasam is my first choice, of course, when I am sick or recovering, but, this time, in addition to rasam, I was craving for this spinach mor-kozhambu. I was too pooped to make any paruppusili, so, I just had to settle for plain old green jackfruit poduthuval.

Now, the recipe is the same as the opo squash mor-kozhambu, except I cut down on the chilies, and used some left over low fat sour cream that needed to be used up. The result was creamy and yummy.

Mambazha Mor-kozhambu

Mambazham=Mango fruit. The mor-kozhambu recipe is very much the same as opo squash mor-kozhambu. The primary difference is the use of ripe mango fruit instead of vegetables (opo squash, carrots, plantain etc.).

This doesn't look like much in the photo - just a yellow liquid - but, it was a tiny piece of heaven for me. I don't make this often. I wait till I crave for it and make it in the mango season when the fruits are affordable here, which is usually around summer.

Mambazha mor-kozhambu can be a bit of an acquired taste like Mahani/Mahali oorugai (pickle). I simply love Mahali oorugai, but, my mom, and even D cannot stand the smell of it! Me, I am happy with yogurt rice accompanied by a generous helping of Mahali pickle:)

Anyway, for this mambazha mor-kozhambu:

1. I used one large ripe mango fruit, skinned, and pulp extracted by hand.
2. Then simmered it in some water and salt. When cool enough to handle, ran it in the blender till uniformly smooth and no lumpy mango pieces remained.
3. Then added the ground mor-kozhambu paste as in opo squash mor-kozhambu recipe and simmered some more
4. Finally added buttermilk till it warmed through but not boiled, else buttermilk separates. Optionally add the tempering and garnish with cilantro or curry leaves.

This mambazha mor-kozhambu has a slight sweet tinge to it from mango fruit, which is balanced by some extra hot chilies in the ground coconut+chili paste.

I love paruppusili to accompany this mor-kozhambu, but, I was too lazy to make paruppusili, so, I served it with spicy beetroot+potato roast - just potatoes and beetroot pan-roasted with red hot chili powder and some salt.

Opo Squash Mor-Kozhambu

Opo Squash (Pul Qua, Hu Lu Gua, Woo-Lo-Kua, Peh-Poh, Long Squash/Melon) is mostly bland and watery, so, it works well with a lot of Indian recipes which have interesting spices.

Mor-Kozhambu is a buttermilk/yogurt based dish, usually served with rice, and accompanied by some poduthuval or paruppusili. But, I like to eat a bowlful of cool mor-kozhambu as a summer soup sometimes :)


Ingredients
½ medium opo squash, peeled and diced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups plain yogurt
¼ tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
water as needed

cliantro for garnish

tempering: 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 3-4 curry leaves

for the spice paste:
½ cup dry (or fresh) grated coconut
2-3 jalapeños or green chilies
2 Tbsp grated ginger

Preparation

combine the spice paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste; keep handy

place the opo squash, onions, carrots, some salt, turmeric powder in a pan, add just enough water, cover and cook the vegetables

turn down the heat, add the spice paste, stir well, then fold in the yogurt and the buttermilk, and heat through gently till well combined; turn off heat - buttermilk will separate if cooked for too long; garnish with tempering and cilantro

tempering: heat oil in a pan, when shimmering add the mustard seeds and when they pop add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, turn off heat

Serve warm or at room temperature with rice.

This Opo Squash Mor-Kozhambu is my 'O' dish for lovely Nupur's A to Z of Indian Vegetables event.